A grad student shares impressions from a talk on cybersecurity and leadership.

Corey Thomas, President & CEO of Rapid7 recently sat down with Ken Freeman, Allen Questrom Professor and Dean, as part of Questrom’s Dean’s Speaker Series. These on-going conversations engage leading CEOs and corporate leaders for a one-to-one discussion with Dean Freeman on leadership, careers, ethics, and other timely topics.

Thomas was recently featured in Adam Bryant’s Corner Office in the New York Times.  At Questrom he discussed his career and leadership approach, the path to taking the company public in 2015, trends in cybersecurity, and how he addresses a multitude of business challenges in a swiftly changing world.

Rapid7 enables companies to protect their information from external attack. It was ranked #17 among the top 500 cybersecurity organizations in a recent survey.

For BU graduate student Kylie Simmons, the talk proved to be an enriching one. Here are her five important takeaways on how to manage data while technology advances rapidly:

1. Through research and engagement with consumers, understanding technology and its audiences takes time.
2. Innovation that makes a massive impact is a 5-10-year journey.
3. It’s more important to change people’s experience rather than change their behavior.
4. One must change the way technology works so that it is safe, secure, and reliable.
5. Advances in technology often leads to a major shift in existing best practices.

Watch a 30-minute conversation between Corey and Ken Freeman to learn more about leading in the world of cybersecurity.

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